Grizzly Survival

Reviews:

Ms. Jameson creates a wonderful world contained on one mountain. A fire in the Smokies is nothing compared to the heat in this beautiful love story. The sex is sizzling. The love is a living and breathing emotion. A light and beautiful read with enough spice to entertain. – See more at: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/fireinthesmokiesbook2bybeccajameson.html#.UmRiVBDZgvl

Ms. Jameson creates a wonderful world contained on one mountain. A fire in the Smokies is nothing compared to the heat in this beautiful love story. The sex is sizzling. The love is a living and breathing emotion. A light and beautiful read with enough spice to entertain. – See more at: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/fireinthesmokiesbook2bybeccajameson.html#.UmRiVBDZgvl

Grizzly Survival releases November 14, 2017.

Blurb:

Gavin Wright is human. He is also not out. He has no intention of ever coming out. He’s unwilling to face the condemnation. Lucky for him, he’s had the privilege of hiding his true self inside a fake relationship with his best friend, Paige, for ten years.

Dale Gerben is a grizzly shifter. As such, he has the ability to sense things humans cannot. Therefore, it comes as a surprise to him that Gavin thinks he’s so well hidden from the world. He isn’t hidden from Dale. And Dale is up for the challenge.

It’s a summer fling. No one in the human world will find out. Dale needs someone to help him heal old wounds, and Gavin needs someone to show him what he’s capable of if he’d just trust himself.

No one needs to get hurt. Until they do…

The odds are not in their favor. It’s forbidden to change a human into a shifter. It’s challenging to maintain a life-long mixed relationship. Gavin has doubts. Dale has secrets.

Two young girls are missing. There’s an accident. A race against the clock.

Neither man will ever be the same.

Excerpt:

Gavin licked his lips, probably unaware his gaze was roaming up and down Dale’s frame. He was also turned on, which did nothing to help the hard-on Dale already sported just from watching the man get off his bike. The advantage Dale had was that Gavin was human and thus unable to scent Dale’s arousal in the same fashion.

For long moments, they stared at each other. Hot as fuck. Dale tried to think of something to say and finally opted for witty. “So you’re saying you don’t have a single tattoo to show off?” He focused on the tight black T-shirt Gavin wore, the way it hugged his small-but-not-frail shoulders and pecs. His nipples were erect and pressing against the cotton, enticing Dale to suck them.

Gavin smiled. “Never said that. I was just pointing out the stereotype.” He turned around, not answering the question as he wandered deeper toward the kitchen area. He ran his hand across the dark wood table top as he went by. “This is amazing. Did you make it too?”

“Yes.” Dale was stuck on the previous sentence, not sure if Gavin had a tattoo or not, but more determined than ever to find out.

“Of course you did.”

Dale finally managed to get his legs to move forward and headed for the kitchen. “Beer?”

“At the risk of sounding like a teenager, I haven’t ever developed a taste for beer.”

Dale opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles anyway. When he spun back around, he asked the most important question of the night. “Please tell me you’re old enough to drink.”

Gavin chuckled. “Twenty-four.”

Relief. “Well, you’re going to have to learn to like beer if you plan to spend the summer in Silvertip. The two biggest businesses in this town are rival microbreweries. You’ll get eaten alive if you turn everyone down when they offer you a bottle.” He popped the tops off both bottles and held one out. “Try this one. It’s a pilsner from Glacial Brewing Company. The Arthurs own that one.”

“Wyatt’s family.”

“Yes.”

Dale watched as Gavin took his first swig. “Hmmm. Not bad. Maybe it will grow on me.”

“Sit.” Dale pointed toward one of the two dark wood stools at his center island. They matched the table and chairs. He was proud of this home. Every inch was a labor of love. But the kitchen was his favorite. The dark wood cabinets and floors were almost the same shade as the table and chairs. He had spent weeks selecting the brown marble countertops. He loved this kitchen, but he was a horrible cook. “I hope you don’t have an aversion to frozen fries. I hold my own with a grill, but anything inside the kitchen is out of my comfort zone.” He turned around to dump a large pile of fries on a baking sheet.

“Don’t mind at all, as long as they aren’t still frozen when you serve them,” Gavin countered.

Dale tucked the pan into the oven and spun around to lean against the counter. “A comedian.”

Gavin was chewing on his bottom lip, his hair hanging over his forehead in a rumpled mess from the helmet. “Not usually. That one was just too easy.” He took another drink of the beer, his face scrunching less than the first sip.

Dale was mesmerized watching Gavin tip his head back as his Adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow. He was in over his head with this guy. And that damn lip between his teeth…

Shit.

What he wanted to do was round the island, spin Gavin around, and flatten himself between the younger man’s legs. He wanted to thread his fingers in the back of Gavin’s hair and angle his head to the perfect position to take his lips.

Hell, there were about ten other ideas running through Dale’s mind too. Visions of flattening Gavin on his bed face down and thrusting into his fine ass topped the list. And his cock nearly burst the zipper of his jeans when he added ropes to his imagination, the thick cords wrapped around Gavin’s wrists, restraining them over his head attached to the headboard.

All his thoughts were way too premature for action. He had no way of knowing yet if Gavin was even a bottom or what sort of kink he enjoyed. If any.

Instead, he set his palms on the counter at his sides, white-knuckled the marble, and forced himself to remain where he was. “So, what do you do when you aren’t pretending to be in a het relationship?”

Gavin swallowed, setting his bottle on the island. “If everyone in this town is as intuitive as you, we’re in a heap of trouble.”

Dale frowned. “Why? I’m not understanding the need for the pretense.”

Gavin sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“You’re not out.” How had he not thought of that before now? Inwardly, he cringed. Outwardly, he stood rigid, pleading with whatever power of the universe that had made him attracted to this most inappropriate man. So far there was nothing about Gavin that Dale would normally find attractive. He was human. He wasn’t out. Worse—he was so totally not out that he lived in a pretend world with a fake het relationship. The man didn’t even like beer. He was a freaking college student. Dale didn’t go for anyone with even one of those qualities. Ever.

And yet.

Gavin winced, lifting his gaze. “No.”

“And you’re hiding behind a fake relationship? That’s cold.” He stiffened. Why would any woman consent to such an arrangement?

Gavin shook his head. “It’s not quite as unequal as you’re envisioning, and I’ve never once forced Paige to continue the farce. She’s free to pretend to break up with me anytime she wants. In fact, I wish she would. It seems Wyatt Arthur is her…uh…whatever you want to call him.” His gaze darted to the counter where he reached for his beer and traced his finger through the condensation on the outside of the bottle. Had he been about to say mate?

This was always a conundrum whenever a shifter met a full human—figuring out how much they knew without giving away anything unnecessary. Though it was interesting to note that Gavin could have simply asked Paige if Dale was a shifter and they wouldn’t be engaged in this awkward dance.

Dale nearly slapped his forehead when it occurred to him that Paige had no idea Gavin was here in his house. Why was he keeping this secret from Paige? So many questions. He decided to fall back on his regular standard method of inquisition to put an end to the charade. “It would be so much easier if we kicked the elephant out of the room now rather than dance around it all evening.”

The line worked perfectly. Any human with no knowledge of shifters would assume he was speaking of sex. Any human who was well informed would react totally differently.

Gavin hesitated and then chose not to take the bait. Instead, he glanced at the row of windows behind the kitchen table. “I seriously doubt you see a lot of elephants in this part of the country, but I bet you have some grizzly bears.” He bit his bottom lip again as he returned his gaze to Dale’s.

Dale glanced at Gavin’s mouth and licked his lips. “More than you can imagine.”

“That’s what Paige tells me.”

Dale couldn’t stand the distance or the dance another moment. He shoved off the counter, rounded the island, and pressed his front against Gavin’s back, flattening his hands on the marble on both sides of the smaller man’s frame. He set his lips on Gavin’s ear and whispered. “The bear population is larger than what you’d find recorded anywhere. You never know where you might find one.”

Gavin’s pulse picked up. Dale could sense his reaction all up and down his spine. And the man was aroused. A good sign considering how dominant Dale was behaving. The scent of Gavin’s precome wafted toward Dale’s nose to tease him mercilessly. Sometimes the heightened senses of a shifter were more of a curse than a blessing. This close, it was all he could do to keep from lifting Gavin off the stool, spreading him on the island, and tearing his jeans open. Dale was dying to free the man’s cock and get his first taste.

Instead, he needed to keep his head in the game and finish the dance.

Gavin panted. “I’m pretty sure I’m currently being mauled by one.” His voice was weak, but Dale was impressed with his ability to keep up the banter.

“You’d be right.” Dale nestled closer, his cock pressing into Gavin’s lower back. He fought back a moan.

Gavin lifted his hands and set them on top of Dale’s, threading their fingers together. His voice was lower, deeper, and sexy as hell when he spoke again. “Not going to lie. I’m intimidated. I’ve never been with…someone like you.”

“Say it,” Dale insisted. He would never be the one to let the cat out of the bag, but he needed to be certain Gavin was on the same page.

Dale sighed before he kissed Gavin’s neck and then licked a line down to his shoulder. Tasting his skin like this was even better than breathing in his essence. “Does it scare you?” he asked after nibbling a path back to Gavin’s ear.

“Yes.” He turned his face to the side to make eye contact. “You’re huge. You have way more experience than me without a doubt. And I don’t know a damn thing about what your abilities mean where I’m concerned.”

“You mean in the bedroom.”

Gavin swallowed. “Among other things.”

Dale lowered his face and took Gavin’s lips in a sweet kiss before responding. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.” His own heart hammered in his chest. His cock needed release. It had pushed the limit of what it could stand behind the zipper of his jeans.

When Gavin emitted a whimper and tried to turn his body, Dale tugged his hands from under Gavin’s and gripped his hips. “Dinner first.” He released the man’s slight form and nearly jumped out of contact, afraid he would lose his self-control in about two more seconds if he didn’t put some distance between them.

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